Celebrating the Holidays With Sustainable Beauty Products

Disclosure:This post is sponsored by Shea Yeleen. All opinions are my own. I recently discovered Shea Yeleen™ (SY), a social enterprise that sells natural high-quality beauty products made from pure, unrefined shea butter produced by women-owned cooperatives in Ghana.

Shea Yeleen’s products include handmade soap, body butter and lip balm. SY’s mission is to promote sustainable economic development in rural sub-Saharan Africa, empower and train shea butter cooperatives, and educate consumers in the U.S. about natural, fair trade beauty care products. Shea butter is extracted from the seed of the Shea or Karite tree found in the Sahel region of Africa. This creamy, solid butter is naturally rich with fatty acids and vitamins A, E and F, which help to stimulate collagen, restore elasticity, and deeply nourish skin. Inspired by nature, Shea Yeleen™ products contain pure, unrefined shea butter to moisturize, protect, and soften skin, while each purchase helps women shea butter producers to earn a fair wage.

This holiday season I encourage everyone to celebrate and honor their loved ones by supporting fair trade beauty care products. In today’s fast-paced world, we are often disconnected from the people who make the products that we use every day. Just for a moment, stop and examine what you buy, why, and who made it. When I think of the people and families and communities around the world that are directly impacted by each purchase I make, it is obvious how interconnected we all are.

Shea Yeleen™ currently supports cooperatives that employ over 800 women. When paid a fair wage, these women can pay for health care, send their children to school, and improve their communities. Not only does Shea Yeleen™ purchase shea butter at fair trade prices, but it is the commercial entity within a social enterprise that includes Shea Yeleen International (SYI), a 501c3 nonprofit. SYI provides cooperatives with access to training, business consultations, equipment, and funding. So this holiday season, celebrate by sharing time, attention, and giving great gifts. With each fair trade purchase, each one of us can support entrepreneurs around the world.

What a great company! I wish the Whole Foods near me carried this brand, because I really like black soap, and I love that they’re helping Ghanaian women. I had the pleasure of visiting Ghana a couple years ago, and there are a lot of women there who are really in need.